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Marine Patrol expects busy waters heading into Memorial Day weekend

Planning to hit the water this summer? Make you you know how to keep fun from turning into tragedy.

GUNTERSVILLE, Alabama — Whether you've been boating for years or are planning to hit the water for the first time, Alabama Marine Patrol says it's important you know how to stay safe.

In 2019, there were 29 deaths on Alabama waters. In 2020, that number fell to 14, and troopers want to see that number keep dropping.

When people were looking for safe ways to get out of the house during the pandemic, many took to boating for the first time. Now that COVID cases are staying low, Marine Patrol say they expect the waters to be busier than ever this Memorial Day weekend.

ALEA Corporal Trooper Robert Ping said, "If you just recently got your license, this isn't the best weekend to be out there. I would rather see you put a more experienced driver behind the wheel and save your learning curve for another day."

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Unless you're in a dry area, it is legal in Alabama to have alcohol on board. Troopers say it's important to have a designated driver and for that driver to be wearing a kill switch.

ALEA Senior Trooper Jacob Mayo said, "If you get thrown off a boat and you didn't have it on, you're going to go in the water or all the occupants are going to go in the water and that boat, it has a tendency to circle around and there's no way to shut it off and it run over you, get cut up by the propeller, things like that."

Don't forget about life jackets. There must be a life jacket on board for each person on the boat over the age of eight. Kids eight and younger must have their life jacket on at all times.

"It's not just enough to have it on," said Ping. "It has to be completely buckled up and down. It has to be zipped up. Every security feature on that has to be enabled while they are on the water."

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Along with life jackets, Marine Patrol says if they pull you over, they're going to ask if you have a fire extinguisher, a throw cushion, and a sounding device.

"What we look for is these things being readily available. It's really, really important because if you end up in a crash and those life vests are underneath in a storage bin, they're not doing you any good," said Ping.

If you're planning to go out on Guntersville Lake on Memorial Day Weekend, Marine Police are offering courtesy boat inspections at the Guntersville City Harbor Friday, May 28 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

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